Strings & Cuts
by GPS-OrangeWorld
Summary: Afterlife!AU Akashi Seijuurou transcends the Underworld as a powerful Demon with jaded views on the mortal world, yet he still possesses an inexplicable desire to become human once more. Several years into his service, a red string is wound around his finger. On the other end of the thread is an enigma: Furihata Kouki, an angel who supposedly knew him from their past lives. AkaFuri
1. Chapter 1

Hello, my name is GPS.

Please excuse my strange omniscient narration skills. Enjoy~

This first part will be an AkaFuri, don't like, don't read.

Disclaimer: Kuroko no Basuke is not mine~

* * *

_Have you ever heard about the so-called "Red String of Fate"?_

_The myths and legends that the humans pass around to each other never seem to be completely correct, though they do sometimes come close._

_While it's true that a red string might bind two lovers together, a thing like "fate" rarely ever plays a role, and the ones who know this best are __the Angels and Devils governing over the mortal souls on Earth._

* * *

It was during his fourth year in the Underworld that Akashi Seijuurou noticed a fragile-looking red string tightly tied around his pinky. The crimson line had from appeared out of nowhere, but ever since then, the smallest finger of the man's left hand had been occupied without fail.

This type of thing wasn't actually a strange occurrence in the faction of Hell the red-haired man worked in. No, not at all.

After he had finished living out his human life, the redhead became one of the many who were reawakened in the Afterlife–a place which, frankly, wasn't much different from how it was on mortal Earth. It was more like a slightly different, parallel dimension. One that inhabited the same planes in the same time frame but never truly coincided with the world we know.

In this world, there were what the humans had long ago been able to see and had given names to: those that resided in the realm above were called "Angels" or "Seraphs", and below were the "Demons" and "Devils". Because of certain complications, however, it's been hundreds and thousands of years since they've lost the ability to properly see these transcendental beings.

But Akashi had been different.

From his birth until his death, a certain characteristic passed down from generation to generation in his family had allowed him to perceive the unearthly beings. It was both a blessing and a curse.

He had taken advantage of this "gift" to avoid calamity and find fortune, and had grown up to be a person with a great amount of influence on his fellow man.

Sadly for him, the powers he held had come at the heavy price of his life.

At the age of young age of twenty-eight, Akashi Seijuurou died an untimely death and left behind his wealth and legacy to an adoptive child. Though it was protested, he hadn't wanted to continue his bloodline and cause strife to his descendents; it was one of the reasons he made the decision not to father a biological heir.

Now, it was obvious that the red-headed man knew that the Afterlife existed. How could he not when he had practically lived through it when he was alive?

One thing he _hadn't_ known, however, was that he would also become an entity of that universe one day.

Nothing much had changed though–even when dead, the heterochromatic-eyed man does not understand the concept of the word, "failure". From the day he entered as a simple grunt worker, he had quickly made his way up the ranks and, in his fourth year, had already become the head of his division in Tokyo. Quite an impressive feat if you ask me.

So, what kind of Dastardly Devilish work does he do? Well, the answer to that question might confuse you a bit.

A very common misconception is that all Devils and Demons are evil creatures hell-bent on the destruction of mankind and causing suffering for no apparent reason. This is one of the many things mortals get wrong.

Akashi and his team, even being Demons, specialize in the delicate workings of the human mindset, and even cooperate with the Angels in Heaven in order to do so. With the skills they hold, they make sure that the human world (or at least their region of it) will revolve more peacefully, and ensure that it would continue to do so for years to come.

They spend a lot of their time dealing with the sought-after, fickle, sometimes shallow, destructive, blind, and powerful emotion most commonly known as "love".

And do you know what they are?

Well, I guess that the easiest way to describe them would be to tell you what the humans call them by:

_"Cupids_".


	2. Chapter 2

GPS here again~ I have a thing for complicated plot lines, and so I am sorry.

Disclaimer: KnB is not mine~

* * *

After a month or so after its appearance, Akashi still had yet to catch a glimpse of the person on the other end of the string.

For that reason, he'd supposed that it would have naturally faded away with time, like they usually do when both persons have absolutely no feelings for each other. It might've just been some prank by one of the Angels–there had been cases before where something like this had happened, and unless it was "authentic", they were the only ones who could tie the lines connecting two persons.

But no. Even though he'd waited, the little knot stayed securely and stubbornly, never unraveling in the slightest even after several months had passed.

The redhead had wondered why the other person never came to meet him, or why someone had somehow developed feelings for him in the first place. Though he was a handsome and highly competent Demon, he was also sly, demanding, and had a rather infamous streak of subjecting others to harsh punishment for the simplest mistakes.

He had contemplated finding the other before, but he'd been extremely busy when it first appeared. That time, he'd been recently promoted to the captain of the Tokyo squad of "Devil Cupids", and there was much he had to learn before he could control the situation and his co-workers with ease. Everyone had known he was the best for the job, but some had still chosen to rebel against him simply because of the fact that they disliked him.

It was a battle they could only lose.

The next few months had been spent juggling the protests to his command, executing his duties with precision, and finding an expert team to replace the ones from before.

And still, the other person never came.

After having been curious for so long, sooner or later, Akashi had found the time to follow the string. What he found at the other side was not pleasing at all.

Staring him down in the face was a towering metallic structure: one of the Gates to Heaven, the Holy Kingdom.

In the Afterlife, it was a rather sad thing when an Angel fell for a Devil, or vice-versa.

It all seemed to stem back to an event that had occurred thousands of years ago, back when the gods had first started creating the Cupids from the first humans. As cliché as this may sound, a war had broken out between the two sides who'd thought the other to be inferior. Neither could get along, resulting in a separation that caused years of strife and unnecessary hardships.

Back then, Angels and Demons had been free to roam Heaven and Hell; there had been no distinguishment between them besides the subtle features each side held. Sooner or later, however, one squad of Angels had protested working with the Devils because of an incident where a one had gone Rogue and attacked them. That small incident blew completely out of proportion, and before they knew it, great casualties were suffered and hatred, guilt, and bloodshed were abundant in just about every region.

Demons and Angels who'd previously been lovers were separated like this, and while it was possible for them to go into the other's kingdoms, they couldn't spend more than a certain amount of time with their significant other for a number of reasons.

The first was that the statuesque gates that were erected could not be opened by the other species, and wings were ineffective for scaling the walls because of a certain boundary placed on them. Even if someone had managed to get inside, the opposing sides threatened them against entering on pain of death, and they were not just empty words. A third reason was that the magic placed on both kingdoms led to irreversible consequences that most would rather not face.

During the war, after the Demons placed the spell on their land, the Angels followed suit. While stepping into the wrong realm was and is a possible thing to do, the being doing so would have their soul slowly chipped away at. The further into the kingdom and the longer the time spent there played a part as well. On the other hand, if a being did not return to their kingdom after a certain amount of time, that would also lead to the same effect.

All this, of course, was a bad thing.

It didn't matter if a transcended being's body was destroyed; those were only avatar that could be re-created or replaced any number of times. The soul, however, was a completely different thing, and if it happened to break beyond repair, that person would not be able to be reincarnated, the soul would be discarded, and that person's conscience would completely cease to exist from then on.

All this points to the simple fact; if you were weak, going into a kingdom that wasn't your own was a stupid thing to do.

After many centuries had passed, though the sides were no longer warring, there was still a type of discrimination spread throughout the lands of the Afterlife. Few got along harmoniously with their otherworldly counterparts, and others would completely shun even their own kind if they so much as came into contact with their "foes". In their respective realms, some Angels and Devils alike hid in the shadows, becoming vigilantes toward the individuals who did not follow their beliefs.

This led to the ruler of Hell's ministry saying it was a bad idea to use Humans for this kind of work, but the members of the Heavenly Council had argued that this was the only way. A Cupid without human emotion and conscience wouldn't be of any use, and so the humans were allowed to stay.

One of the worst parts of all of this was that the enchantments on both lands could not be lifted (though it had gotten weaker). After that war and all its disputes had finally been settled on a basic level, the Gods had taken away the powerful magic from their workers, leaving most of them with only the elementary spells or skills they needed to complete their given tasks. This was an effort to stop this terrible occurrence from happening again, and was also a punishment for the crimes they had committed toward each other.

Of course, some were still hung up about their battles even after the end, but after so much time and so many different generations flooding in, most of the bitterness of war had been long since forgotten. The walls and gates standing on both sides, however, still serve as a definite reminder of what had passed.

As of today, far fewer Demons and Angels resent one another; Akashi, for one, was a man who does not care about these circumstances, only about getting his work done. The year he'd become the squadron leader, he had fired all the imbeciles and lazy workers there and found several other Demons to fill in the positions–ones that didn't care much for the slight discrepancies that separated the two. He'd also convinced the leader of the Angel's legion to do something similar, making for a less strained environment between the two factions.

As a result of this, he'd made an immeasurable amount of enemies among both sides.

Not that he paid heed to them; he really didn't care so as long as he could get his work done efficiently and without fatalities–even if there were constant warnings and threats at his life. They were insignificant in his mind, and either way, he was strong enough to literally_ annihilate_ them even if they actually decided to grow a pair and act on their words.

And now that the explaining is done, here we are at the present with Akashi's dual-colored eyes glancing up at the large silver gates (Not gold like in popular legends). The string on his finger slithered through to the other side, stretching so far a distance that he could not see its end.

So, remember what I said about the barriers and enchantments and such?

Akashi is a bit of an exception to these rules. Though he's not a true "outlier" (which he does have in his division, by the way), he is a Demon with strong enough magic that the spell placed in the Holy land would barely affect him unless he went deep inside–it was one of the reasons he was chosen as a leader.

After a few seconds of studying the gateway, however, he turned his back to it and returned to the Kingdom of Darkness without a second thought.

Getting friendly with an Angel that wasn't even powerful enough to cross the boundaries (which is what the redhead presumed) would be a complete waste of his time.

It's not like this "love" mattered to him anyways, he had simply been curious about it. He had never even seen, let alone met the other, and so he had no emotional attachment towards them whatsoever.

Some unlucky Seraph probably just had a crush on him.

That was all.

And yet, for some reason he couldn't explain–perhaps just a gut feeling like the ones he had back when he was human–he could not bring himself to cut the flimsy crimson thread.

* * *

Thank you for reading~


	3. Chapter 3

GPS here again, bringing you some more AkaFuri goodness (even if the appearance hasn't been made yet)~

_KnB is not mine_

* * *

_There are four conditions one must fulfill before they can become a Cupid._

_The first is that they must have a wish to be reincarnated–to possess the desire to once again return to the land of the living no matter how insignificant it may be. Their reason for doing so matters not._

_The second is that they should have died at fate's hands; by anything other than themselves and their own will. Though this action technically already counts as a sin, it's not punishable by eternal damnation like one might think; just extra time in the Afterlife._

_The third condition dictates one must give up most of their earthly possessions, either material or sentimental. They are only allowed to keep their appearance, name, and human mentality for the duration of transcendence. Many Angels and Demons have small slivers of attachment lingering in their mindset, but not enough to let them piece together their former lives._

_And finally, the fourth and hardest circumstance to experience is, when they had been human, they must have experienced a "natural" love at least once in their lives or in a previous incarnation of themselves._

_There are cases when these "rules" aren't followed, however. For example, the will to live again might be so strong that it completely overrides the action of killing oneself–in this case, it is usually merely chance that they become Cupids and not other beings of the Afterlife. Another is that, in rare cases, a being may have such unyielding feelings for an object that it follows them in spirit, even in death._

_The only standard that remains unbroken is the fourth, and it holds true to all Cupids._

_And the beings known to be exceptions to the other three rules, as well as any others made, are known as the "Outliers".  
_

* * *

"Akashi."

The redhead, who'd just entered what was _supposed_ to be _his_ private quarters, found himself greeted with the sight of several of his subordinates crowded into the room.

"Have you just returned from a mission?"

"No, Shintarou. Just some private matters; nothing important", Akashi replied to a green-haired male doing paperwork at his coffee table. "You could have used the desk", he told the other, but when he looked at it, he realized it was terribly cluttered with papers strewn haphazardly all around and on the floor; definitely not the state it had been in when he'd left. He turned his head to two of his other underlings: a large purple-headed Demon, Murasakibara Atsushi, who was munching on something materialized from the Human World; and another, Aomine Daiki, who slightly stiffened at his downturned gaze.

"Daiki."

"…Yes?" came the hesitant response.

"Your quota is increased by twenty for this week".

Aomine grumbled but didn't protest, knowing that he'd probably make it even worse if he did. Even if he tried (which he had done on the first day meeting the redhead and fully regretted it afterward), he was sure Akashi had ways to perpetrate a murder and make it look like a silly little accident.

"Told you he'd find out, Mine-chin. You did a reeeaaallly bad job at cleaning."

Akashi waved his hands toward the desk, levitating documents and writing utensils to their rightful place with a few glances and flicks of his wrist.

"Again, why are you here, Shintarou?" the redhead started as he took a seat, "You may be powerful, but you are still a Seraph and you're deep enough in that your spirit will be affected. Even if it's only in the slightest, I'd rather you not subject yourself to this."

The man addressed, or more accurately, Angel, removed his glasses and rubbed at his temples before replying, "I feel more comfortable here. And also, I've said before that it's difficult to obtain my lucky items (an attachment of his previous life) there; my squadron leader lectures me about wasting energy for something he says is a futile effort… besides, I don't particularly care about what happens to my soul."

Here, we have a perfect example of what is considered an Outlier.

Unlike most Cupids, this man–whose name is Midorima Shintarou–seemed to have absolutely no wishes to return to the human world; whenever Akashi asked about it, he could sense zero interest from the other in that regard. This man even claimed he disliked humans, even though he too had once been someone living in that reality as one of them.

"Suit yourself", the redhead sighed, knowing that the other probably wouldn't go back unless by necessity. It was a pity; Akashi was rather fond of this person and treated him with respect because of his personality and caliber of work; he would've liked if they could've someday met after being reincarnated. There were rumors circulating that those close enough in Heaven and Hell would one day meet again if the bonds they'd formed were strong enough. Then again, there was also the rumor that those that had been close in the Human World would be the ones crossing paths after death.

Akashi, who had his mind playing on these thoughts, shifted them away and began filling out reports of today's work. They weren't actually due until the end of the week (today was a Tuesday), but he was the sort that would do something early if he had the time and means.

Like every other day, the work was being completed with perfect accuracy. His pace, however, was lacking in comparison. What had been occupying his brain was a small subconscious thought that seemed fully intent on coming to the surface, nagging at him to think back on the events from earlier that evening even though he'd logically deemed them unimportant.

His handwriting, though impeccable to other's eyes, looked sloppy to himself. At one point, he had even knocked over one of the pens resting on his table, though it floated back up and was placed gently onto the wooden surface once more.

"You should have told me if you were here, Tetsuya."

"My apologies, you seemed to be deep in thought and I did not want to interfere with your work."

"Arara, it's Kuro-chin. How long have you been here?" asked Murasakibara, opening up a bag of shrimp crackers.

"I have reading next to you since the beginning", the stoic man replied as he took his leave from the designated study area and returned to the couches where he'd been sitting the majority of that day.

This new face's name is Kuroko Tetsuya; another type of Outlier with an extremely strange case that has never before been seen in the history of the world's creation–until now, of course. Because of the strange circumstances given to him after transcendence, most of the beings in _both_ parts of the Afterlife had considered him alien and shunned him for years. He'd only recently gained solace after being recruited into Akashi's squad after the redhead had seen his potential, and as much as it didn't show on his face, he was grateful for it.

The reason for the spite against him is that this blue-haired, blue-eyed man is unable to be categorized.

One of the wings rooted from his back was a white-tinted-blue color and feathery, something characteristic of most holy beings.

The other was black.

Arching proudly from his other shoulder blade was another wing; unlike the first, it resembled what one might expect from bats or the creatures humans call "dragons". It was even complete with a protruding spike on top from where it branched out.

On top of his head sat two small horns, not fully formed and mostly hidden beneath his fluffy blue locks. Extending from the end of his spine was a devil's tail: his was a long, thin appendage that flared out into a wavy fin-like flap.

Having a mostly Demon exterior except for that one white wing, the Angels had scorned this poor soul even though he had the powers greater than that of the standard celestial being. Sooner or later, it got so bad that Kuroko had been sent to the Underworld, though the results had fared no better–the fact that his soul was unaffected by such a change stirred up even more controversy. As of now, his adoption into Tokyo's brigade of Cupids has lasted about half a year, and he was more than content.

Aomine came up from behind the smaller bluenette and began to noogie his head, mindful of the horns. "Where were you yesterday, Tetsu? You missed out on meeting those chicks from Saitama's faction."

"I was working, Aomine-kun. And you know I have no interest in that kind of thing."

"Oh, so you were tired. Don't overexert yourself", he stopped ruffling the other's hair and plopped onto the seat next to him. "And you gotta lighten up Tetsu. It might be good for you to meet someone here."

The other just softly smiled and opened up his book.

The next hour was rather quiet in the room, besides the scritch-scratching of pens on papers, the turning of a page, the occasional crunching of some kind of snack-food, and the snoring which had started to emanate from a certain tan-skinned Devil.

When the clock struck the end of the hour, a soft rapping came from the other side of the door.

"Enter", Akashi commanded, and the door swung open to reveal a petite brunette woman with two other envoys at her side.

"Riko-san, Shun, Junpei", he acknowledged the three, "what brings you here?"

The persons just-arrived are all from Tokyo's division of Angel Cupids.

The only female in the room is Aida Riko, though she prefers being called by her given name for unknown reasons. She is the vice-captain of the squad, but with her will power and the way she treats the others there, one might think she were Satan incarnate.

The real captain is a bespectacled man standing next to her, Hyuuga Junpei, who took over after their previous leader got injured and is currently out of commission somewhere. Hyuuga doesn't have the powers to be a standard Cupid, he is there mostly to protect the ones that do from the monsters lurking in the Human World.

The third Seraph in the room, disregarding Midorima, is a dark-haired man named Izuki Shun. He is a diligent worker and encourages all love in the world, but unfortunately for those around him, he has a penchant for terrible puns.

"We're here for business, and don't call your senpai by their first names!", Hyuuga snapped. He never really liked the redhead much; more for personality than the fact he was a Demon.

Riko took over and inquired, "do you have to be free the rest of today?… Well, it doesn't really matter if you are or not, but we want you to come with us."

Akashi's mismatched orbs narrowed. "For what reason?"

"A new recruit. It'll be easier to explain when we get there", Hyuuga said as the three sauntered out just as quickly as they'd appeared.

"Why would they need a Demon like you to go?" questioned Midorima as Akashi passed by to follow them.

"I don't know. I'll be sure to inform you all when I get back–if it's important", was the reply back. And then he was gone.

The four unfurled their wings and made their way out of the Underworld and through the dimension between the two Kingdoms. They arrived at one of the Heavenly gates, and when the three Angels chanted out words in an ancient dialect, the sides of the gate slowly spread apart.

Ignoring the looks from some of the other Angels as they passed by, they flew far into the Celestial land. It was deeper in than Akashi usually went, but he found that he still remained unaffected by the atmosphere and continued on. In a few minutes, the group landed outside of a building similar to that of a church–most of Heaven had housing like this by design.

Akashi's eyes widened as he stared.

Not because of the majestic structures around him–he'd never really been awed by architecture–but because of the fact that the string on his pinky went through to the other side of the door.

He waited for the other three as they opened the door and led him to their destination, all while following the line with his eyes since it seemed to be going in the same direction he was. He didn't even notice that his heart might have been beating a little faster than usual.

Through a book room.

A hallway.

More doors.

Staircase.

And then eventually, the quartet arrived through one last boundary.

A pair of Ruby and Topaz eyes slowly trailed the string and, for the first time following the half year it'd appeared, took in the sight of the person on the other side.

The Angel opened their mouth to speak, though all that came out was the surprised gasp of one word–or specifically, one name.

"…Seijuurou…kun."

* * *

Did I iterate the fact that this will lead into more stories once the AkaFuri portion is done? I guess not. As a heads up, afterwards will probably either be TakaMido, AoKaga, or KiKuro.

Thank you for reading. I love you guys.


	4. Chapter 4

GPS is here~

Probably don't need to say this because it's unlikely, but please do not take the cover image without my permission. It is my own picture and you should not subject yourself to it because there are plenty of other better AkaFuri drawings out there.

I would like to call to attention that even though I said I'd write other pairings, I didn't mean here in the main story. The other pairings each get their own parts in this same universe and they probably won't coincide much, so you could stop reading when that time comes if you want (though I wish you wouldn't)

Disclaimer: I have no right to Kuroko no Basuke. Sadly.

* * *

_"You. Tell me your name."  
_  
_"M-my name? It's F-Furihata."_

_"Your full name."_

_"Ehh? Umm... uhh, it's Furihata... Kouki."_

_"Well then, Kouki, it's nice to finally meet you."  
_

* * *

"…Seijuurou…kun"

_"Seijuurou-kun!" _Something throbbed in the back of Akashi's brain.

Without warning, a pair of pure, white wings sprouted from the Angels back, and his eyes widened further at their appearance. The surprised expression the brown-haired man wore had turned panicked while watching them cascade around his self, covering his side of the room in a curtain of glowing feathers as if they were snowfall.

"Calm down, they're just your wings", Izuki sighed, trying to calm the man.

Forgetting all about the string on his finger, Akashi turned to the other three. "What is going on here?" he asked, watching this scene unfold.

Riko looked at him from the corner of her eye and replied hesitantly, "Well, what we know for certain is that he's an Outlier."

"And that he seems to know you, Akashi", Hyuuga interjected with a glare. He continued with, "He's been in a sleep-like state for the last few months, and he only woke up earlier today. We've already interrogated him about some things, and he kinda went a little hysteric earlier when he realized he's been dead. Like you've just seen, it's unlikely that he know how to control his powers."

"What does this mean?"

"We don't know. We were hoping _you _would tell _us_. Izuki caught sight of you at the gate earlier; it was around the same time when this guy woke up", Hyuuga sighed.

The redhead turned back to the man on the bed who'd been staring at the group in what might've been a nervous anticipation. "Unfortunately, I am also attempting to comprehend this situation." Taking a few steps toward him, the Demon declared and demanded, "I believe you already know this, but I am Akashi Seijuurou. And your name is?"

A pair of small, brown pupils shifted to the ground and back, and Akashi noticed they were beginning to water. "My name is Furihata…", he paused for a second, almost as if expecting a reaction, "Furihata Kouki".

Another pulse raced through the redhead's brain, and he slightly winced at the feeling.

He looked at the Seraph. "Your circumstances and duties have already been explained to you, correct?"

"Y-Yes."

"Good. It'll save time then", Akashi said while trying to read the other's eyes. "It seems as if you retain memories from your former life. Is that true?"

While finally calm enough to fold his wings away, the brunette sent Akashi an affirmative nod.

"Then tell me, what is your relationship with me?"

Again, those cinnamon eyes seemed to shift all around the room but never directly at the people there. "Well… I knew you before… We were close friends before you passed away."

Akashi studied him closely, knowing he wasn't lying. The redheaded Devil could tell from his steady–if slightly stressed out–heart beat and the fact that nothing else was otherwise indicating falsehood. At the same time, something seemed to be amiss. There was definitely something more to this that the other wasn't saying.

Akashi opened his mouth to inquire more, but was stopped when Hyuuga snarled, "Don't. You know we aren't allowed to learn about our former lives". "And you-", he pointed toward Furihata with an accusing index finger, "we've already said you aren't allowed to tell him anything. If the higher-ups find out, both of you will be in big trouble."

Akashi crossed his arms, unable to offer a rebuttal to that statement as he knew this law better than anyone else. "If you only summoned me here to try and satisfy your curiosity, then I think we are done here. Just so you know, I have not done anything to him and am also clueless as to why he's awoken now. I do not know who he is, but either way, it probably won't make much of a difference", he said and began walking out the door.

"Wait right there!" Riko exclaimed, grabbing his arm, "that's not the only reason we called you here."

A brow was raised questioningly.

"I scanned Furihata-kun earlier. You might've gotten a clue from his wings (which, by the way, mirror one's spirit when conjured), but he has a soul almost completely devoid of impurities. If he can get a hold of his abilities, the heart synchronization rate induced when matchmaking would be incredibly high."

There are points that should be clarified here to assuage any confusion present.

First of all, when Riko said she "scanned" him, she was referring to a special ability she has; one which allows her to take a look at a person's soul. With this, she can gauge what job would be the best for them and how they should do it for maximum efficiency. Most of the more powerful transcendental beings have other kinds of powers of their own, especially in the Tokyo Cupid teams.

Second, _Cupid_ is a word that can be described rather broadly. Though mortals on Earth tend to believe that Cupids are Cherubs–unclad infants that shoot arrows at people–from fiction, the term is actually is better defined as someone who deals with affection in any form.

The reason that there are two types of Cupids and one of the main reasons they usually despise each other is because each was made with different capabilities; it was the only way the two gods could create them due to the difference in _their_ capacity.

Seraphs are the beings who "bring lovers together". The majority of them have skills that allow them to manipulate a human's feelings and draw them to another, tying a red string of fate around their fingers to ward away bad luck and sealing their doubts and insecurities. You may see this action as unnecessary or offensive to humans, but without Cupids doing this, only an extremely small fraction of couples in the world would exist. Something like a "natural" love is a hard thing to come by, and so this is the best alternative solution.

Demons, on the other hand, are the ones who "break lovers apart". When they find humans with conflicting feelings or thoughts in their hearts–toward their other half–or a situation that disallowed them to be together, the Demons step in and cut the strings connecting them. When that happens, they no longer have the blessings of an Angel and unbecoming feelings that had been locked up start to seep to the surface. The chemical attraction is also cut to avoid. A peaceful separation is always intended, but it never seems to turn out that way in the end because of lingering attachments.

The "heart synchronization rate" Riko talked about is a quotient measuring how well an Angel could link two people's hearts together while imbuing a piece of their own divine grace to protect them. The more devoid of corruption an Angel is, the stronger this bonding process tends to be–with a few exceptions, as always.

After speaking and not getting a reply from the redhead, Riko extended her speech with a simple question, "I'm sure you know what happens to someone with an extremely pure soul, right?"

Of course he knew; just about everyone in the Afterlife, perhaps except Furihata, knew instinctively that, while it was advantageous as a Cupid, it was also dangerous.

Since Demons and Angels that watch over the world exist, it's only natural that their less amiable counterparts do too.

Beings originally reborn as celestials who lost their way, or monsters that were brought into existence from the manifestations of fear, anger, or grief all exist in the human world. Some who are too far gone are attracted to pure souls–something opposite to them in just about every regard–and would stop at nothing to monopolize them so that they could possess something with a semblance of their former selves. Others literally devour them because, apparently, creatures that lurk in the darkness find them more delicious or find amusement in the fact that they are destroying something so innocent.

Among the Cupids, there are those who do work and those who defend. The latter type usually have stronger offensive skills in comparison to enchantments, which is why they would rather choose that job. Especially during the night, it's unwise for any Devils or Angels to be in the human world alone.

Akashi was sure he already knew where this conversation was headed, but he still finally responded with his eyes slightly narrowed, "What does this have to do with me?"

"We want you to guard him."

Izuki looked at Akashi with a focused expression. "We want you to… _take him under wing._"

Hyuuga dragged him out of the room saying, "not the time."

Ignoring the other two, Akashi answered the woman with, "And why should I do something like that when there's nothing in it for me?"

Riko giggled as if he'd just told a hilarious joke. "Well, first of all, he's used to be your good friend and he probably trusts you a lot. Second of all, you _are_ the strongest in this entire faction and it wouldn't hurt. And third, us Angels have been covering for all the weirdos in your brigade and putting in good words for you for years. You must not realize how difficult it was for us to convince our members to trust you and enact these partnerships in the first place."

Well… all that was actually true. As much as Akashi wouldn't like to admit, his group was rather troublesome and didn't conform much of the time; they were rather infamous in the Cupid community. Being powerful and somewhat dysfunctional was _not_ a good mix and they had outed themselves further by actually cooperating with the inhabitants of the Holy Kingdom.

Adding onto the last statement, Riko leaned close to the Devil's ear (careful of his horns) and whispered, "And you might be able to _accidently_ find out about your past. I know you're interested more than anything else."

That too was true.

As much as the redhead wasn't one for breaking rules, this man named "Furihata Kouki" might have the answers to all his questions, including the one he'd been stuck on his entire transcended life:

_For what reason do_ _I__ desire to return to the human world?_

Akashi's intent to be reincarnated was a blazing wildfire unable to be contained, and it was why he was such a powerful Demon. It's also the reason why he only cared about work in the Afterlife; he only wanted to quickly doing his standard hundred year's worth of service and return. Nothing would get in the way of his objective.

But when Akashi looked back at the brunette man, the feeling from earlier echoed through his mind again, resonating _something_ through his mind. He didn't know what or why, or even what that something was, but he knew it was there confined deep inside. Walking out the door, he left the pair of Angels with only the words, "I will consider it, Riko-san, _Kouki_."

Before either brunette could get a word in, he had already left to room.

Riko looked at Furihata who, for some reason, could not contain a smile and light laughter inside. "It's the same", he whispered to himself under a sigh.

"You know…", Riko said a minute later, "I already decided to help you after you told me what happened with you two, but I don't understand what exactly you're going for here. You do realize he probably won't regain his memories anyways? Even though he seems like it, he won't ever be the same as before. You'll get hurt if you keep chasing that."

A gentle, longing smile crept onto Furihata's face, small and slightly pained, subtly overtaking his lips.

"Yes, but... this is good enough. I just want to be nearby... even though I know it's selfish and stupid and there's pretty much no chance. I didn't know it would end up like this, though", he shook his head at himself while bringing his knees up to his chest. "I really didn't think I could meet him again... not like this".

Riko ruffled his hair before sitting on the bed and throwing herself backward. "Don't worry about it. Just make sure you don't accidentally tell him everything. It was your seal, after all."

The other Angel lifted his head and apologized, "I'm sorry, Coach. Thank you for helping me with this again."

"Coach?" The woman's bounced back up and her eyes twinkled when she heard that. "Did people use to call me that back in the human world? As agreed, tell me more about myself", she commanded with a playful grin.

Furihata thought about it and started, "Let's see, umm... You used to being the student council VP back in high school and…"

Looks like Akashi's group wasn't the only set of troublemakers.


	5. Chapter 5

What a late chapter. Sorry for that, I haven't been able to write as much lately.

Anyways, here we are. I don't own Kuroko no Basuke, just a random plot line for my favorite crack pairing.

* * *

_"Look, it's starting to snow!" the brunette said excitedly, blowing out a puff of visible air and rubbing his bare hands together. The boy next to him grabbed one of them, held it tightly, and caused the other to squeak._

_"What are you d-doing!?"_

_"I'm holding your hand. Is it not okay?" the other replied, his stare unending. He was about to protest, but he noticed just the faintest tint of pink–not from the chill of the night since the redhead was always sufficiently dressed–on the other's face._

_His own flush intensified; embarrassed, he stared at the ground and back before finally murmuring, "I guess it's alright… b-because it's cold…" The other's hand _was_ warm though._

_The redhead smiled._

* * *

"What did they want from you?" Kuroko and Midorima simultaneously questioned as the redhead reached the doorway. Akashi glanced across the room, noting the fact that the two other Devils had left.

"Unimportant matters", he replied to them, "they requested that I watch over one of their new recruits". As he took a seat on his cushioned desk chair, he added, "If you were going to ask why, it's because he possesses an extremely pure soul and is likely to be targeted by some 'depraved and repugnant' beast."

The green-haired Seraph on the couch pushed on his glasses with a skeptical glance in his general direction. "They still could've gotten someone else. Even if you're strong, why would they go out of their way to get a Demon to do it?"

A pen was taken up by the redhead, spun skillfully on his nimble fingers. "_That's what I would like to find out as well", _he thought, placing the object back onto the table.

"Who knows?"**  
**

* * *

Minutes later would be the start of Furihata's first expedition in the human world.

As an Angel, at least.

The brunette traveled from the holy realm to the neutral dimension that separated the two sides, finding that he was finally nearly used to the wings sprouted from his back. His flight path was still a bit crooked, but it was better than the beginning where he would crash after only lifting a couple meters off the ground.

As of now, he was to meet up with Akashi, and, after that, they would open a portal to the human world where Furihata could finally test his skills as an envoy of love. One of the things he'd recently learned during his one-week training period was that red strings here and red strings in the human world differed greatly; even though he'd practiced his skills, he didn't know how it'd work on mortals.

When used on a person living on Earth, the thread binding two people would help harmonize their feelings for each other–so as long as there's a basic chemistry between them. In the Afterlife, however, the strings are ineffective when used on other Celestials or Demons, so their hearts can't be stirred by "artificial" means. Although a string can be tied around another Cupid's fingers, the Angel who did so wouldn't be able to see it unless they tied it to themselves as well; no one besides a select few with special abilities could see other's strings.

Because of these facts, some found a practical use for the otherwise pointless process of tying the lines:

Red strings are indestructible unless cut by a Demon, you see, and so they could always be counted on when one person needed to find who they were looking for as long as the thread was tied to them. It was a much more efficient method than just seeking the person out; things like technology didn't work in the Afterlife because the mediums in which they needed to function didn't exist. So of course, the method of string-tying was the next best thing.

Coincidentally enough, this fact worked out perfectly for the brunette.

Months ago, Akashi had thought that the line around his pinky was one made by a Seraph, which is why confusion struck when it didn't disappear soon after. Even if they were made to not serve any actual purpose in the Afterlife, a red string between two persons would still eventually fade away if they had absolutely no bond or relation (romantic or otherwise).

He was puzzled again when he actually met the one on the other side of the string. Not only was the other an Angel, he was also a man who, apparently, knew him from his past life. Now he was back to the thought that the string was just a synthetic bond; Perhaps newbie Cupid had tied it to him by accident during his procession when he'd been in Heaven, or maybe Riko had been planning this all along. The only reason it wasn't disappearing was probably only a subconscious recollection or Furihata's attachments to him from the Human world–or at least that's what Akashi had surmised.

Speaking of the redhead, he'd been waiting patiently against a deteriorating Roman-style pillar. This dimension between the two realms had been inhabited many, many years ago. Those who'd protested the Great War had left their respective countries and congregated here, even though the powers they used regenerated much slower in a place like this. Sooner or later, they'd all been wiped out either by their fellow Celestials and Hellions or been too weakened and died against creatures lurking in the human world.

But enough of that.

A few minutes later, Furihata finally came soaring–more like bumbling, actually–into the vicinity of Akashi's sight.

"You're late", Akashi stated at the same time Furihata landed and apologized, "I'm sorry I'm late!"

The Angel started to chuckle lightly, but he stopped when Akashi inquired, "Are you prepared?" as he began to open a portal to the human realm. He gave a slightly hesitant but positive answer before the two entered the void.

Bursts of color swirled around them, and they flew through the tunnel-like passage that seemed to stretch on without a definite end in sight. A strange, almost nostalgic feeling flowed through Furihata's mind the further in they went; sooner or later, he realized it was probably because he was getting closer and closer to the universe the humans resided in. A rift in the space around them began to open up, and the two began to see the colors fading away into a modernized city landscape.

"Umm… so we pretty much just go around and do… Cupid things?"

"You could say that, though this process is much more complicated than you'd expect", Akashi sighed as he floated down to ground level with the other trailing after. Someone walked right through the brunette as his feet grazed the earth.

_So they really can't see us._

"Since you've only ever practiced this in Heaven, I should tell you now that it's much harder to do your work here where magic potency levels are much lower. Also, we aren't going after designated targets today, so you'll have to make decisions for yourself on whether two people are the right match. Look into their souls and take everything into consideration."

Furihata nodded and approached a nearby woman. She was averagely attractive with a thin face, brown eyes, and straight hair reaching her mid-back.

This next demonstration is basic and necessary skill for Angel Cupids. Matches couldn't just be made randomly; there were too many factors in normal human's lives that could potentially ruin a relationship right from the start if two incompatible people were made. An effort was to be made to find someone that would give them the best chances of a wonderful, fruitful love that could withstand hardship or whatever little quirks or defects the two could find in each other.

He wrapped his snow white wings around her, enveloping her and himself in a feathery cocoon. Slightly calloused hands were raised and placed on either side of the woman's head, and his forehead touched against hers. Though he'd heard most did this contact with a finger or hand, the brunette preferred to do it this way–perhaps because it felt more… _kind_ in his opinion.

Little-by-little, significant bits and pieces of her life–from adolescence to adulthood–began to pour into the brunette's mind:

_She had a two-year long crush on a boy in the eighth grade with no luck. Her first boyfriend cheated on her with another girl in her high school. She likes animals, particularly small creatures like turtles, kittens and hamsters–two of which she owns. Both her parents live together in Kanagawa prefecture in a western-style condo of average size. The last time she dated was two years ago, back when she was twenty-five, and she now works as an office-lady in a small brokerage firm that does pretty well for its size._

More and more information began to engrave itself into Furihata's thoughts; her feelings, her likes and dislikes, favorite past times, past experiences–everything.

The images stopped at the current point in her life, and the brown-haired man blinked realizing that a few minutes passed and the woman had marched on right past him.

He stood flustered, processing what had just happened; though Riko had already explained this at least ten or twenty times, the real thing still felt very… peculiar. He felt a bit bad about it–invading a stranger's privacy like this, even though it was his job and he'd already decided he'd have to do it.

"N-now what?" he nervously stuttered out. He wasn't exactly sure how he was supposed to find a match for this woman now that he knew all about her.

"Well, now that you synchronized your souls, she'll be linked to you and you'll be able to find her as long as you remember who she is; it's unlikely you'll ever forget her since until you purposely erase her from your memory though. After this, it's pretty much all hit-and-miss regarding who to connect her to. Just keep searching until you find someone compatible while making other matches along the way", the redhead explained disinterestedly as he watched the other stare into the crowds walking by before getting to work.

It was then that Akashi felt another presence in the immediate area. He sighed at this; they had only been in the human world for barely five minutes and Furihata had already attracted some kind of malevolent spirit or Demon. His mismatched eyes were on the look-out for any movement that would indicate danger to the brunette.

Furihata had yet to notice any signs of the dark aura floating around. He was too busy placing his forehead against another person's and beginning to delve deep into the pools of subconscious thoughts, emotions, and memories laid out in front of him.

That was when Akashi caught a glimpse of a suspicious figure making its way toward the motionless brunette.

It had hid in the shadows for camouflage, blending into the atmosphere and crowd and inching closer to the unsuspecting Angel with a wildly flaring aura that practically screamed, "**_Kill_**!" Akashi pulled out a weapon, (this might be a bit humorous) a pair of crimson red scissors that he usually used for his main job of cutting strings.

In a second, the monster discarded its dark hiding place. A beast that looked as if it were from the nightmares of mortals emerged, lunging out and pointing crooked claws at the brunette who was still in a state of suspended animation. The second before it made contact, Akashi flicked his wrist and let the scissors fly like a bullet straight into the monster's neck.

The sheer force knocked it away several meters, and Akashi walked after it nonchalantly. This monster-like Demon stirred and snarled, trying to remove the scissors lodged deep into its throat as it thrashed but only managing to injure itself further.

Akashi lifted an arm to motion toward the beast's direction. The scissors slid out smoothly with a trail of some kind of black matter spewing out after it. The weapon was summoned back to its master, who shook them off lightly. Ruby and gold eyes glared down coldly at this creature, which was probably the type to have been born from human hatred or despair or something along those lines.

In an instant, the fiendish beast found it had lost a leg.

In another, its entire body had been carved away.

Soon, all that remained was a blackened core, a fake "soul" that was the embodiment of the dark side of human emotions. In one final, movement, a hand encased the entity and slowly crushed it, leaving behind nothing but a faint whisper of grudge and bitterness blackness that Akashi would've liked no better than to both metaphorically and literally wipe his hands of.

For the rest of that day, monsters rarely attacked them; perhaps they were smart enough to ignore the calling of such a clean and pure soul in favor of their lives not being forfeit to the redhead's hands. Once in a while, however, they'd get just a bit too close and he'd each up killing them anyways, which just served as a further warning to the ones who were smart enough to avoid his line of sight and sense.

"So how many has it been now?" the redhead asked at one point while doing his own job of severing the string between two incompatible persons. The brunette racked his mind for a number and came up with a resounding, "f-forty-one… though still no matches."

Akashi crossed his arms, "You do realize it's nearly impossible to find these people a perfect other half, right? If they have very normal circumstances, it shouldn't be too hard to just pair them up. "

"Ahh…" Furihata looked slightly downcast at this. He fidgeted around once or twice before replying, "I just thought… it'd be nicer if they could find someone they could genuinely be happy with. Though I guess it's hard to do… realistically..."

A scoff was sent his way, along with the words, "Of course it is. What is considered 'true' love doesn't exist when Cupids are involved. Actually, I don't believe it ever really existed–those myths about soulmates have never been proven by anyone. It feels like even I, being remade as a Cupid, was some kind of mistake since it's difficult for me to picture having 'fallen in love' with somebody."

Another dejected look crossed the brunette's face, eyes glued to the ground and lips pursed in a thin, straight line that didn't, give a reply back for a few long seconds. "I guess not", he finally laughed with a timid undertone, contradicting himself even though something about what had been said clearly bothered him.

"Tell me, Kouki", the other jumped at the mention of his name but Akashi continued, "Why do you look so distressed?"

"I'm not… not really distressed or anything. This just reminded me of something from a long time ago, that's all."

"Hmm? And what might that be?" the redhead inquired, giving the smaller man an interrogating stare. One arm reached up to place a hand on the wall next to the Angel, and Akashi shifted, leaving him with less proximity than what would be considered comfortable by most. "Does it happen to be something about me?" his head slightly throbbed when he asked that, though the dizzy feeling was only there for barely a second.

_Something like this happened before... a bit after we met. I remember freaking out a lot. And then I ran away because I thought you were a psycho stalker, and we both ended up tripping into a puddle. _

"…gu…pffft", he involuntarily let out.

"Kouki… did you just snort?"

At that, the brunette's face couldn't help but break into a grin. "Sorry, it just reminded me of something", he laughed stepping away from the wall. "Even though I'd like to tell you, wouldn't the higher-ups get mad? Not to mention Coach–err, Riko-san would probably double my training or something". A bead of sweat ran down the side of his neck. Now that Akashi was looking closely, he noticed a layer of perspiration had formed on the brunette's face, along with a tinge of red that had blended in with the color of the setting sun's rays.

Furihata took a few steps and went right back to work, floating toward the nearest person he could find and attempting to start the synching process once again; he himself didn't seem to notice.

He was stopped when Akashi suddenly entwined their hands, lurching to a break.

"Seijuurou-kun?" the Angel gave him a puzzled look, and tried to break free from the hold.

_Ahh, it's warm. _

"Your hands are cold", the other informed, "and you're sweating too much. You've exhausted yourself and have been away from the Heavenly Kingdom for too long. It's time for you to go back."

"Ehh? But I haven't made any progress at all", the other said, slightly pouting. "I feel fine. I can still-"

The Demon ignored him and began to open a gate back, "you can continue again tomorrow. You're starting to develop a fever and you should start to feel light headed in a few minutes. When that time comes, you'll be unable to coherently retain information or memories anyways. While we're transcended beings, these bodies are still very similar to that of a human's and are rather fragile, so your mind isn't feeling the repercussions yet."

Furihata couldn't fight against that argument, so he slowly made his way into the rift. "Umm, are you coming?" he asked, first reaching out a hand and then quickly retracting it, trying to play it off by placing it in one of his pockets.

The redhead noticed that movement. He noticed most of these kinds of little things. It was one of the abilities his eye had gained after he'd died, and although it wasn't the same as staring into one's soul, it still worked in an almost similar way. The only problem was that he could not read this man in front of him–something just felt different, it felt… off.

People like Midorima were so blatantly obvious to him, like a diary or biography widely cracked open for the rest of the world to see. Others, mainly Kuroko, were enigmas who didn't seem to actually have much emotion, though it was simple in a different way. This man, however, was strange.

His actions and the reasons made sense and didn't at the same time, like the way he would shift a bit closer and then suddenly shy away–it'd happened quite a few times today. _"Who is Furihata Kouki?"_ and _"What was my relation to this person?"_ were two questions that Akashi found he wanted answers to; ones that would gnaw at his mind that left no space for even his previous inquiries. Somehow, the man with the chocolate-colored hair could be read easily, but he didn't seem like he was acting or faking his personality while the motives for what he did and said didn't quite match up like Akashi wanted to expect. Especially now that he was being dodgy about questions, the redhead had no doubt he was hiding something.

That feeling came back. That slight throbbing, pulsating harder and more frequently the more Akashi speculated. It was obviously another point of interest, though he wasn't sure whether it was being he was trying to learn about his past or not.

For today, he'd leave it alone.

Furihata was starting to sweat more profusely, and he seemed to be waiting for a positive answer from Akashi, not making any move to go further in by himself. For some strange reason, Akashi felt compelled to follow the Angel back, though he convinced himself it was just because the other seemed like he might collapse from over-exertion and he didn't want to have to listen to Riko's lectures. Very few people could stand up to Akashi and she was definitely one of them.

He closed the portal behind them and they flew, this time without a shred of conversation. Often, Akashi would catch the other staring at him, though he'd quickly avert his eyes, and the process would repeat all over again.

About a half-hour later was when Akashi realized he didn't reach his personal quota for the day.

And that he might have been thinking of a certain brunette Angel a _bit_ too much lately.

And that he might have thought the feel of physical contact was just a _bit_ more pleasant than he expected.


	6. Chapter 6

I am orange. The orange is me. Sometimes I just whatever. This is GPS at 3 A.M.

Thanks you readers and reviewers, you guys really make my day. I'm glad people are showing interest in this fic and I hope you'll continue to do so.

**This fanfiction is hereby disclaimed.  
**

* * *

_"A present? Hmm... then, how about a kiss?"_

Akashi could feel something press onto his lips, slightly dry and chapped, slightly trembling and nervous, but he really wouldn't have wanted it any other way.

_His eyed opened and greeted the wide, chocolate-colored ones in front of him, and the reddened face that resembled a strawberry the more he looked. Since Akashi was always the one to initiate this kind of thing, he hadn't actually expected it, so he was reveling in the feeling._

_"Aka... S-Seijuurou-kun!" the brunette stuttered, pulling out a small box from his pocket and placing it into his hands. "Merry Christmas and H-Happy Birthday!" the voice was reduced to a shy, quiet mumble to say,"...I love you."_

_At that moment, the redhead swore his heart was going to overflow._

He couldn't help but lean in for another kiss.

* * *

Akashi hadn't yet noticed, but recently, he'd been dreaming more often.

A bit of sleep was still necessary for Cupids in the realms, refreshing their minds and bodies (especially their bodies) which were hardly durable enough to take the strain of their abilities and everyday tasks. Some just made it through days and nights on end without so much as a wink of sleep, until they exhausted themselves to the brink and were forced to comply to their weary bodies' pleads. Some, when they weren't working, would spend their time _only_ sleeping–simply going through the motions. And some, like Akashi, would take it in moderation whenever they felt it was needed.

Since the beginning of his time here, however, he had hardly ever dreamt.

The waves of slumber would come naturally, and he'd see nothing when he shut his eyes and blocked all white-noise from his ears except the usual silence-filled darkness. Then, he'd wake up slightly groggy with a few hours taken from the day and continue on.

What was strange was that, lately, in place of the darkness came vivid, brightly-colored images. All the mental pictures drawn were unfamiliar to him, yet they would give him a slight sense of déjà vu that he, like many things recently, didn't understand.

In these frequent visions he'd been having, it always started out with him, alone in a big, empty room decorated in a faded monochrome. And next, the same person would always appear through the one small door on the wall adjacent to him. Their face and voice were the two things Akashi could never quite make out, even though everything else was crystal-clear.

He'd be pulled out of that room, out into a blindingly white void that starkly contrasted that dreary, gloomy space he'd previously occupied. The hand holding his would urge him on, and that barren landscape would slowly fill with all sorts of places stained and tinged in pastel lighting.

He and that mysterious stranger would go through them.

These dreams always seemed to last a long time. It felt as if hours and hours were spent walking and running, and conversing about simple things that didn't really matter, yet neither one of them cared that they didn't.

Near the end, when the time was up, dream-Akashi would smile at the figure. Through the blurry mosaic on the stranger's face, he could just barely make out the same kind of expression given back to him. And for that time, Akashi would feel something in his heart tingle.

But of course, all good dreams always draw to a close. Akashi would himself be lifted from the ground, high above that other person who would, without a doubt, start to softly cry. They'd say something; Akashi couldn't tell what it was, but he could see their mouth forming obscure shapes. Inexplicably, he himself would feel droplets sliding down his face as well, all the way until he disappeared into dark grey clouds which had previously been creamy, ivory puffs in the sky. Sometimes, instead of just tears, he'd noticed he was bleeding as well, though nothing really changed as a result.

When he woke up, Akashi barely remembered he had these dreams. Only faint recollections remained, though as the day went on, more and more of them would be forgotten, buried away deep in the crevices of his mind like an unopened, abandoned time-capsule. Eventually, the entire thing would disappear, until the entire cycle would repeat itself a day or two later and he'd be left feeling that sense of almost-recognition once again.

Akashi had never liked dreams for much of his human life. It didn't matter whether they were horrifying nightmares or imaginative delusions that played to his each and every whim. In his opinion, it might've been that "good" dreams were actually the worse of the two. Nightmares may be scary, but Akashi disliked the fact that once you wake up from your wonderful fantasy land, reality comes back that much harder and reminds you once more that life can be a tedious, terrifying, and sad thing, and perhaps _that_ might be the real nightmare.

If not for the event that had occurred on and after the eighth of November one certain year, Akashi might've lived the rest of his relatively short life feeling this way.

The Demon's "life", as of now, is being spent over some paperwork detailing the request of several humans that needed their strings cut before they started wreaking havoc. Uncut, unsuccessful strings left alone for too long often leads to things like domestic violence or stalkers, which are obviously not something anyone would like to deal with.

His eyes and pen quickly glided over the paperwork, respectively scanning the words and making the decisions as to which Demon should cut what string. The Cupid synchronizing factor worked both ways, after all.

Like most of the times he was swamped with work, Akashi wasn't sure how long he'd been sitting in his armchair, assigning names to tasks and transporting the files into cabinets of the other Devils. It was all a very organized, complicated process, though he still completed all he had to do within several hours instead of the entire day as some had predicted.

The redhead took a glance at the clock while speculating about how many here had lost their concept of time. In the next ninety-five years–just ninety if he continued to service as a Squad Leader–he wondered if he too would become apathetic toward the ticking sounds or hour hand that looked to be moving just a bit too slow over the course of the day. If he'd stop ripping pages from that year's calendar copied from the human world, and just continue working until the higher-ups would one day fly in and tell him his time was finally over.

Those thoughts didn't last long due to the fact that Akashi was generally a very busy man.

At the twentieth hour of the day, he would be greeting and taking over new recruits and converts that had been forced upon him. He wouldn't be teaching them himself as he already had far too much to deal with to be able to spend time with something like that, but he'd assess them and assign mentors and such. At least, unless he found them not up to his standards (which was most of the time something like this happened).

Until then, he had four hours, two or three of which were scheduled to be spent on Earth watching Furihata and cutting threads, and the remaining time to do whatever he wanted.

He sent a messenger to ask to meet about an hour later, in the mean time picking a fresh book from the shelves and then moving to the sofa.

The allotted time passed while he turned away at the pages. Soon, the grandfather clock near his desk sounded, informing him that his private reading session was over and it was time to go meet Furihata. Akashi slipped a makeshift bookmark in between the pages he hadn't finished reading and made his way into the hall.

It didn't take long for him to reach the place they'd been meeting for the last three months.

Time spent with his new brunette companion seemed to breeze by quickly.

The Angel had lost the initial awkwardness from their first few meetings, like the eyes being averted and the flinching whenever Akashi made contact with him; he actually seemed to welcome it. At some moments, when the shorter male became a bit too relaxed or when Akashi could coax it from him in a subtle way, he'd let small facts about their past lives slip. Furihata would always be silent after realizing he did, but it didn't take long to return to his usual self.

Things Akashi had gotten from these types of conversations included that he used to be somewhat conscious about his height (Furihata would laugh if he knew Akashi still was), that he really enjoyed playing Shogi and Go and Chess, and that his favorite food was something like tofu. He'd also accidentally mentioned that Akashi seemed to come from a wealthy family–something which the Demon could easily envision.

By now, Furihata was able to do work a lot more efficiently after having built up some resistance to all of it in the last few weeks. He could stay in the human world longer, do what he needed to do faster, and be less tired at the end of the day.

Thanks to that, though Akashi protested, the brunette would always ask to spend a few more minutes in that realm. Against his better judgment, Akashi would agree, though the smile that lit up the other's face sort of made up for it. Akashi wasn't sure if he was just starved for companionship, though if he was, then it explained that small jumble of emotions every time he was dragged into some park or store while the brunette pointed out all the little things he'd never bothered to look at.

It was too bad the time never seemed to be enough.

There was mainly one large drawback of Furihata having gained control of his powers: he'd become an even bigger target for lurking monsters. The phrase, "moths to a flame" would describe the situation day-to-day, and it was still escalating. Akashi wasn't sure exactly what made the Angel in particular so sought after; there had been many other Seraphs and Devils with similar conditions and none had been hunted for like this. It was why no more than a few extra minutes could be spent wandering.

Due to that same quality of purity in his soul, however, the couples Furihata brought together seemed to have a high success rate, even though they were still in early stages. Or maybe it was because he was oh-so insistent on making sure they were near-perfect for each other. As much as Akashi wanted to scoff at the idea of this kind of this as he'd done before, he had to admit that the other's efforts held some merit.

Akashi sat on a fallen pillar, waiting for the Angel to arrive so they could go. A few minutes lazily passed by, but soon, Like always, Akashi saw the red string around his pinky wavering and those glowing white wings from a distance. Immediately, he knew it could be no one else. The person he'd been waiting for arrived with a slightly lopsided, out of breath grin and mussed-up hair from flying in a crooked path. He may have been better with his matchmaking skills, but aerial maneuvers still seemed to escape him. The taller man had to stifle a small chuckle at the thought, especially after the additional memory of Furihata crashing headfirst into the ground at one time.

A peach-toned hand extended itself in front of the red-eyed man, so he grabbed it and helped hoist his body up. He noticed that Furihata's hands always seemed a bit cold–just the opposite of his which were a bit warmer than most. The cool feeling on his palms was somehow calming, somehow nostalgic, and somehow familiar.

"Shall we go?" the brunette asked, releasing his hold, his fingertips just barely brushing against Akashi's. That brief second of tranquility vanished.

Akashi almost sighed when it left, but settled for replying, "Of course, Kouki", and trailing after the smiling brunette.

The other's back was something he'd seen a lot lately, after having to follow him around and all. Furihata would run out in front and spur him on, and Akashi would give chase. But why now did he wish the other would turn around? Or maybe to wrap his arms around that silhouette which looked to be just a tad bit lonely, even in company–in _his_ company.

Like flying for Furihata, realizations and epiphanies weren't Akashi's strong points, it seems. After all, it'd taken these entire last three months to become aware that the influx of new emotions he was constantly experiencing around the Seraph weren't what he should be feeling for a mere _friend_. Perhaps the longing for the touch of that chilled skin on his was a bit… "Strange". And maybe his curiosity was taking left turns toward things that should've been irrelevant, yet one way or another, they've became important.

Well, they _really_ weren't his strong points, because even now, Akashi still hadn't considered that what he was feeling might've been the very thing he hadn't believed in just months prior.

Still, his loudly beating heart and heated face were becoming problems–at least to him. For all of his intelligence and wisdom, his ignorance toward this one subject led him to question whether or now transcended beings could catch the flu or a cold, even though the very thought was preposterous. Maybe he'd consult Shintarou; the green-haired man always resembled the doctor type. Or Atsushi or Tetsuya since those two were always good listeners. Or maybe he'd soon understand that the affliction _wasn't_ a disease and that something _wasn't_ wrong with him.

Maybe soon, he'd recognize that it might simply be affection.

God knows how long it might take for him to realize it might be _love_.

* * *

Thank you for reading~


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